2025 Summer Source - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

PUBLIC WORKS Page 7The Source | Summer 2025Lakeelmo.gov Coming this fall... Ensuring clean water for residents has always been a top priority, and Lake Elmo provides safe and reliable drinking water that complies with federal and state water quality standards. Since PFAS contaminants were found in our water system, the Lake Elmo Public Works team has worked to reduce and effectively remove pollutants from our drinking water. Well before the Minnesota Department of Health test results exceeded the EPA standard, Wells 1 and 2 were proactively taken offline and designated for emergency use only until a solution could be implemented. Well 1 was shut down in 2018 and sealed in 2022. The installation of the new water treatment system at Well 2 is now complete and operational. The process in the new treatment facility is as follows: first, drinking water is pumped from a groundwater source at a depth of 285 feet, drawing from the Prairie Du Chien-Jordan aquifers. The water flows into a small tank, where the first filtration removes larger iron and manganese par ticles. Then, it enters the lead vessel, beginning treatment as water passes through the filtration media. The lower third of this tank contains an ion resin filtration system that removes PFAS. Next, the filtered water moves to the second vessel, which ser ves as the final filtration step before it reaches the distribution system. Finally, Wells 2, 4, and 5 automatically supply clean water to the three water towers as needed. During the filtration process at Well 2, most PFAS chemicals are captured in the first filtration vessel. When that vessel’s contaminant level reaches capacity, staff will direct the pumped water into the second vessel while the resin in the first vessel is replaced. This process takes about one day. In Minnesota, public water supply systems are regularly tested by the Minnesota Depar tment of Health for various contaminants. The water from all three Lake Elmo wells is tested quar terly to ensure it meets health standards. Public works will begin ditch mowing in September and mowing around storm water ponds. New Treatment Facility Brings Well 2 Online